Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

 As I sit and daydream about what I would do if I had the opportunity to do anything in life, I am drawn to helping children. The more I learn and the more I see in life, the more I realize I was destined to help children. Before I entered the ECE field I was preparing to go to work for CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates). I had been a volunteer for many years when the Executive Director asked me to come aboard as a casework manager. It was about that time that I needed care for my two year old twins and could not find quality care. I opted to enter the ECE field instead. CASA is a wonderful organization that speaks up and advocates for abused and neglected children. I could easily find myself working as a casework manager if I was not working in the ECE field. I continue to volunteer and serve on the board, which gives me the best of both worlds. I can continue to help abused and neglected children through advocacy at the same time as I help young children develop and grow in the early childhood education field.

Our program collaborates with an organization called Early Childhood Intervention (ECI). ECI is a statewide program for families with children, birth to three, with disabilities and developmental delays. Basically, if we see a need for ECI we make a referral to the parents who then contact ECI and schedule an appointment. ECI first sees the child in their home, then any future visits can be conducted in our center. ECI has several positions in their program. However, the position which holds my interest is that of an Early Intervention Specialists (EIS). I could do this on a contract basis and still continue working in the early care and education field. ECI has created its own credentialing system. Early Intervention Specialists earn their credential by completing specific training activities on their Individual Professional Development Plan (IPDP). Once all of the training activities on the IPDP are completed, an EIS is awarded a certificate declaring his/her status as an EIS Professional. EISs must obtain 10 contact hours of Continuing Professional Education each year in order to maintain their credential. EISs must also complete 3 hours of ethics training every two years in addition to the 10 hours of CPE. ECI employees or contract personnel are eligible to become an EIS with at least a bachelor’s degree in one many related areas such as child development, family studies and sociology (and many more). This is something I could begin working on rather quickly.

http://www.dars.state.tx.us/ecis/careers.shtml

I have also explored the option of teaching at the local Community College in my town.  Hill College has a “Johnson County Campus” just five minutes from our program.  According to the website there are various adjunct instructor positions available. Candidates must hold a Master's degree with at least 18 graduate hours in the teaching discipline. Additionally, candidates should have the knowledge base on how to teach via new instructional formats (internet, 2-way video, etc.) or be willing to receive training on new formats. I don’t have the 18 graduate hours in the teaching discipline, but I would be willing to take the necessary classes to fulfill the requirements. The early childhood education instructor will be retiring next year and I would love the opportunity to teach classes at this campus.

www.hillcollege.edu/employment

 

If I were willing to move out of Texas I would apply for a position at the Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Learning (CSEFL) at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. The website does not have an employment link for CSEFL. Job listings are plentiful, but they are all for Vanderbilt University. I searched through pages of job openings, but could not distinguish if any were for the CSEFL. I have a passion for learning more about social-emotional development and what better place to learn and put into practice what I have learned!!

 http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/search.html

 

Finally,  I would like to become a trainer for the early childhood education field. I have taken steps to make this a reality. I have applied and have been accepted by the Texas Training Registry to conduct trainings for the early childhood field. At this point I have only conducted one training since being accepted, as my schedule has been completely hectic lately. But once I have completed my coursework through Walden University I intend to write and conduct trainings more frequently.

If the sky were the limit and I could do anything my heart desired, I would still work to help children.